Golden
by FlutterStutterBOOMBOOM
Summary: See. Hear. Touch. Taste. Smell. The fives senses. But there is another ability most humans have, one we take for granted, one we don't realize the importance of until we meet someone without it. Two, actually- if you count love, that is. MxM.
1. Can't

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the thing: I pulled out the notebook that I wrote this in, and realized that this chapter was **_**done**_**. Written. Finished. All I had to do was type it up. It must have been ready for a month or two now. Say it with me now, everyone: **_**Epic fail.**_** I apologize. I kind of have this phobia- see I've started other fics before, not under this account, but in other places, and I've abandoned every. Single. One of them. So I get nervous that as soon as I post a couple chapters of this, I'm just gonna give up on this great idea. That's where you guys come in, okay; if you like it, review. Bitch the next chapter out of me if you have to, I don't care. Thankfully, I have a very clear idea of where this story is going, so it should get finished eventually. And for anyone who reads HTA, I have NOT quit on that, I swear I'll get to work on it. Next chapter is Near, by popular demand. But this AN is far too long. So, story time!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Death Note. I kidnapped Matt and Mello and keep them in my basement but…**

**Matt: Please help us.**

Mello didn't know a world outside of Wammy's. He had lived there for as long as he could remember, longer than any of the other kids his age. The only thing that gave away that he even _had_ a life prior to the orphanage was his rosary, which he had been wearing when he arrived, so many years ago.

For a long time, Mello had also been the smartest there, until one day a new boy turned up, a bit younger than him, and flew to the top of the ratings. _Near._ Jerk. He undid all Mello had worked for without breaking a sweat.

Still, Mello had a certain… seniority about him. He had been there the longest, was the second best in classes, and was just plain frightening when he was angry, which was often. He was respected. He was assigned the best seats in class, and always had his chocolate. He didn't have a roommate, unlike most of the children. This he was thankful for. He didn't like other people; didn't get along with them.

So the surprise was not a pleasant one when he walked into his room and found that a second bed had materialized, complete with a red-haired boy wearing goggles and a striped shirt sitting awkwardly on top of it., fidgeting slightly, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Hey," Mello barked, slamming the door behind him. The boy started at looked up at him. Mello gave the redhead a once over and nodded. "So I'm guessing you're my new roommate?" The boy's head bobbed up and down once in confirmation. Mello sighed. _Be nice, _he told himself, _he didn't ask for this any more than you did. Don't screw this up _too _quickly._ "I'm Mello. What's your name?" He stared expectantly but received only an apologetic look and a note:

"Mello-

We hope you'll welcome our newest prodigy, Matt. We're sorry for the lack of notification, but this was a bit of a last-minute occurrence. However, we're sure that the two of you will get along famously. There is one thing you should know about Matt- he doesn't talk. He suffers from what doctors call "selective mutism", or, at the stage Matt has it "progressive mutism", so we're counting on you to make sure that he doesn't have any difficulty fitting into the routine. Again, we apologize for not having the opportunity to tell you in advance.

-Wammy's House Staff"

Mello read and reread the note. Although it was friendly enough, there was something vaguely threatening behind its genial tone. "_We're sure that the two of you fill get along famously"._ Yes, definitely a warning.

He leaned over and experimentally snapped the boy's- Matt's- goggles. He didn't even move.

"So you don't talk, huh?" Matt shook his head. "Ever?" He did it again.

Mello rolled his eyes. "Okay. Do you have your schedule yet?" Matt nodded and handed him a piece of paper. He glanced at it before looking back at the redhead, eyebrows raised. "Same as me."

Generally, he was pretty confident about his status as second-best at Wammy's, at least until he could achieve "best", but he had to admit, someone totally new who was deemed smart enough to go directly into all top-level classes, someone who didn't talk at that, was a potential threat.

Matt just smiled.

Mello sighed, giving the schedule back to Matt. "Well, looks like I'll be showing you around." He took out a bar of chocolate and bit off a good sized chunk. He was still less than thrilled about sharing a room with anybody, but he was smart enough to know that he had to make nice with the boy for a little while; just long enough to please Roger and to establish what his relationship with Matt would be. Would his companionship be valuable, or was Mello about to gain another rival? He remembered when Near had showed up out of nowhere and soared right past him; maybe he could catch Matt in time to clip his wings.

"How old are you?" When all he received was a startled look, he rolled his eyes again and said, "Hello? Trying to make conversation here? It's obvious we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, so we might as well introduce ourselves properly".

Matt looked at him thoughtfully, then slowly smiled and held up ten fingers, then put them down again and put up three more.

Mello nodded. "Cool. I just turned fourteen last month. When's your birthday?"

Finally sliding off the bed and crossing the room to the calendar, Matt pointed to the first of February. Just a few weeks away.

"So we're only a month and a half apart," Mello said. Matt nodded, and they sank into a rather awkward silence. _God, he's only been here 20 minutes and already his lack of verbal answers is irking me. This should end well._

"Why don't you talk?" Mello asked when he couldn't bear it anymore. For a long time, Matt didn't do anything. He just stood there, slightly rigid, staring at the ground again. Just when Mello had given up on getting an answer and turned to start his homework, he heard a faint rustle behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Matt was holding out a regular yellow sticky note to him. Taking it, Mello saw that there was one word, written in the very center in black ink, in simple, neat handwriting: _Can't._

"Can't? You mean you've just never been able to?" Matt wrote on a second sticky note and handed it to him. _No. I used to be able to. But I can't anymore. _"So you just… stopped? How does that happen?" This time, Matt just shrugged. "O…kay." Mello said slowly. "Whatever. Dinner's in ten."

**IMPORTANT: As someone famous once said (who specifically varying depending on what Google result you click on), and I believe this should be the slogan for Fanfiction[dot]net: "Good authors borrow; great authors steal". Although this is my own work, it is also very loosely based on a book I read (**_**The Weight of Silence, **_**I forget the author but it was good). All I really took was the selective mutism. BUT. As I was typing this, Spell-Check underlined 'mutism'. So I googled it to make sure it was right, and the definitions online were VERY different from the definition in the book. I tried to fix it, y'know, throwing in that "progressive mutism" thing, which I'd never heard of before, but I've decided to stick to the description I got from the book. Sorry to anyone whose OCD about getting the facts perfectly right, but a lot of my story was built around it and changing it would have set me back. A lot.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading. And if you're lonely, feeling like no one cares what you think, rest assured- I DO! So review, and share your expert opinion with me ;)**


	2. Don't Say

**AN: You thought I forgot already, didn't you? Nah, it's just been a stressful couple of weeks and I haven't had to update. Chapter 3 won't take this long, I promise. Hope you understand!**

**Dedication: This chapter is for xxStrawberryMassacrexx, my best MxM buddy who's leaving me soon T.T She was the one who bitched this chapter out of me, so thank God for her. I'm gonna miss you, Berry-chan! Stay in touch, okay? **

**Disclaimer: I'm too tired for a clever disclaimer. I don't own.**

**Mello: Lazy-ass. You're worse than Matt- at least he's hot.**

**Flutter: Shut up, or I really **_**will**_** send you to live in Berry-chan's closet.**

**Mello: O.o I'll be good. (*mutters* For now…)**

Mello led the way to dinner, Matt glancing around as they walked, trying to learn his way around. "Give it up, kid," Mello drawled. "This place was built by blind architects or something. It's damn near impossible to navigate." He caught Matt's eye and smirked. "Looks like you and I'll be using the buddy system for a while". Mello was actually in a pretty good mood. It was dinner time, his new roommate was, if nothing else, quiet, and he had just managed to work the phrase "damn Near" into everyday conversation. Not bad, not bad at all.

He probably shouldn't have been surprised when Matt sat next to him, but he was. Mello usually ate alone, the result of being too hot-tempered to make friends. But Matt was, as far as he knew, perfectly amiable and used to having a whole crew to hang out with at school. Those friends were probably totally supportive of Matt's inability to talk. They were probably helpful and funny… Then again, it all depended on how he ended up here. Lots of Wammy's orphans were picked up off the streets- if they weren't happy at home, they were smart enough to make it on their own.

Mello glanced at Matt's dinner. He wasn't eating much. Was that why he was so skinny?

Matt sensed Mello's eyes on him and looked up at him from behind his goggles to meet them. His expression was almost impatient. _Well? What do _you _want?_

Mello was about to shrug and drop his gaze when a thought struck him. "Hey," he said suddenly, "do you know sign language? I can understand a little, so…" He was put out when Matt shook his head. "You can't talk, you can't sign… how the fuck do you communicate with people?" he growled. Matt tapped the pad of sticky notes in his pocket with his index finger. Mello blinked. "You write everything? Doesn't that get… tedious?"

Matt rolled his eyes, took out the notes, and wrote something down. _Sometimes. Like right now._

Mello sneered. He was starting to like this kid. "Sorry".

_It's okay. For real though, I'm not a people person. I'm pretty much good with silence._

Call it irony, call it a cruel fate, but as Mello was reading this, Linda flounced over to them. "Hey, Mello," she said, trying far too hard to act natural. "I was just wondering if you knew what the history homework was- by the way, who's your friend?"

"Nice, Linda. Very casual. Almost believable, if I didn't know you already finished your history homework."

"YOU STALKER! Why are you keeping tabs on me? I thought you 'weren't interested'?"

"I'm not. You sat next to me in the library and you think out loud." The corner of Matt's lip twitched. He, at least, seemed to be finding this exchange amusing.

Linda, meanwhile, was staring blankly, fumbling for a comeback. Coming up with nothing, she merely crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. "Hmph. Fine. I'll introduce myself." She swooped in to sit next to Matt, almost leaning on him she was so close. "I'm Linda. I'm an artist- maybe I could draw you sometime." She giggled with disgusting amounts of flirtatiousness. "So what's _your_ name?'

Matt raised his eyebrows at her, a smile still playing at his lips. But made no move to write anything down or indicate his condition. Linda giggled again, thinking he was playing a game. "Speechless?" Matt rested his head on his hand, waiting. Linda wriggled closer- quite a feat, actually- "You can _talk_, can't you?" She was joking, of course, but _God, _Mello thought, _that must've stung. _Whether or not it did, Matt didn't move, so Mello decided to cut in.

"Actually," he said, enough ice in his voice to freeze hell thrice over, "he can't." Another blank look from Linda. _Surprise, surprise._ "It's _called_ 'selective mutism', bitch." He threw the phrase at her as though he were an expert on the subject, even though he had never heard of it until twenty minutes ago.

"Oh. Now that you mention it, I think I used to know someone with that- like, before I came to the orphanage," she lied. "It's when you, um… can't talk, right?"

Mello was ready to snap at her. _Of course, that's what I just said, isn't it?_ But he noticed Matt was finally writing something. The redhead tore off the note, stuck it to his left thumb, and flicked it with the fingers on his right hand, sending it fluttering towards Linda. **(AN: Try it sometime. It's fun.) **_Asked and answered, babe. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this supposed to be a school for geniuses?_

Mello laughed aloud, while Linda scowled. She didn't like being turned down. "Yes," she spat, "it is. The question is why they let a disabled freak like you in."

That was the last straw for Mello. He didn't think you could really call Matt his friend- they had just met after all- and he didn't know if you ever would be able to, but Matt seemed like a cool guy, and the 'disabled' remark was extremely uncalled for.

"Clearly he's not disabled. If he liked you, yes, I might be concerned for his mental health. But he seems to have recognized you for the hateful bitch that you are, so he's probably alright." Mello was practically yelling. He turned to Matt, and muttered "C'mon, let's get out of here." He stalked off, and he was happy to hear Matt shuffling along behind him.

"BASTARDS!" Linda screamed at their backs, shattering any hope Matt had still hung on to of keeping his arrival under the radar. Not that it really mattered. He was just following Mello at this point.

Mello stopped in the hallway, leaning against a wall, still steaming from a fight. Matt handed him a note.

_You know, I used to say I wouldn't wish this condition on anybody, but I think it might actually make _her_ more attractive._

Mello let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, you're probably right." Matt smiled- he had a nice smile, Mello observed, and it would probably be even nicer if you could see his eyes- and leaned next to him on the wall. "And by the way, I'm not really a people person either".

_You don't say._

**AN: FINALLY! Oh my God!**

**BTW, yes, I DID change the summary. In case you were confused. Review, or I send Matt and Mello to live in Berry-chan's closet.**

**Matt: You never would. You're **_**obsessed**_** with us, you creep.**

**Flutter: Shh…**


	3. Pulse

**Author's Note: Holy crap I've been busy. And still am, really. I'm typing this and a research paper for English at the same time, 'cause I just have like skills like that. Anyway, there is a TIME SKIP in this chapter =) Sorry to my reviewers who said I was doing a good job developing their friendship; I've decided to kind of forgo that and jump to the actual story. Matt and Mello will probably be together soon- maybe the next chapter but probably chapter 5- I should warn you, I have a little cliffhanger planned. But I've already started working on those chapters, so you won't have to agonize for too long 8D. YAY FOR REAL PLOT.**

**Dedication: Know who I've never dedicated something to? My friend BeyondBirthday13BB! Which is weird, because she's one of my bestest friends! This one's for you!**

**Disclaimer: I no own these idiots, or the anime they come from.**

**Matt *gaming*: Hmm? Yeah, that's nice.**

**1-year time skip**

It's strange how long days feel while we live them, and then they all end, and looking back, you're sure you've miscounted, there must be a mistake- a year couldn't have gone by that fast, could it?

But a year had gone by. A year's worth of homework done, a myriad of pranks pulled, a handful of holidays over with, and the two boys' birthdays celebrated quietly between friends (aka each other), as was tradition at Wammy's.

The "buddy system", as Mello had so charmingly called it, had simply never broken, even though Matt now knew the building like a pro. It was rare for one of them to be seen without the other, rare to have a quiet day where they wreaked no havoc on something- or someone- or other.

They hadn't changed very much- Mello still wore leather, Matt still wore goggles. Mello still had a temper, and Matt, unfortunately, still couldn't talk. Despite being on the threshold of age fifteen, Matt felt like time had stood still ever since he came to the orphanage. True, he had Mello now, which made it a lot easier to communicate- the blonde had an uncanny ability to understand what Matt was thinking just by looking at his face. But no matter how full their one-sided conversations seemed, both of them knew their was something missing- a second laugh muffled in the back of the classroom, a second whisper in the library, a second person who could answer for himself when he was asked what he wanted for lunch.

It was not for lack of trying- really, it wasn't. The only bad thing about being friends with Mello was that it made him feel guilty- the last thing Mello needed was extra stress. Mello was so, so understanding, but someone who could be totally okay with never hearing his best friend's voice would be truly cold and emotionless. It was the little things that got under Mello's skin- when Matt had to search and search for a piece of paper just to answer a simple question, when the other kids made fun of him and he had no way to defend himself, when the substitutes would accuse him of being a troublemaker because he 'refused' to answer them. Mello would get so frustrated, it hurt Matt's heart to see. Sometimes, when it was really bad, Mello couldn't stop himself. "Can't you just try a little harder? It's not so difficult- really, Matty, it's not. Give it another shot- maybe this time- just a simple word, part of a word even…"

But for all Mello's pleading, all the stupid speech therapy Wammy's forced him into, not to mention his own personal drive, Matt had yet to produce a single syllable. He practiced, he researched, he hoped, he focused, he observed. He even prayed once or twice, but that was enough to know that religion wasn't for him. It was fine for Mello, but he felt so awkward, sitting there, imploring some supposed invisible force, trying to get it right but finding it hard to respect something he couldn't see.

Mello was trying, too- he never _meant_ to make Matt feel bad, he just wanted so much to hear the redhead's voice, it was hard to control himself. One day, not too long ago, around Christmas, he had finally worked up the nerve to look up 'selective mutism' on the internet. He had been mildly surprised to find out the extent of it- he had always thought, on some level, Matt just didn't care enough to really attempt to get better. It was hard to grasp that no matter how much his best friend wanted it, his words wouldn't come with just a few honest tries. He wasn't really doing anything wrong, at least his body wasn't- it was Matt's subconscious that seemed to be against a normal lifestyle. Although this was _all_ news to Mello, nothing hit him harder than when he finally found the cause:

"_Although there is no simple way to give mutism a concrete 'cause', it does seem to be attributed to extremely traumatic events. The afflicted person, frightened to talk about what happened, begins to talk less and less until they stop talking altogether…"_

Mello felt an odd, empty sensation in his abdomen as he read this. _Traumatic event?_ Matt had always seemed perfectly happy…

After reading it, Mello had made it his New Year's Resolution to stop pestering him about his speech. Matt would talk when he was ready, he would heal with time, and Mello was determined to be there for him the whole way. Still, he felt a storm in the back of his mind- he couldn't completely stop obsessing over what kind of trauma could leave someone so very strong so very scarred, and he couldn't stop torturing himself with the desire to know what Matt's voice sounded like. For some reason, the first thing that jumped to mind when he tried to guess was '_beautiful'_. He knew that he was probably setting his expectations too high, and that it was more than a little odd to think about his male best friend that way. But he couldn't seem to help it- come to think of it, he did tend to find himself using a lot of… unusual adjectives to describe the gamer- he couldn't help it, growing up in an orphanage, Mello had never really had anything of his own. Now that he had such an amazing friend, it seemed wrong not to appreciate it.

The days were cold again now, Matt and Mello's second January together had stormed in with snow and ice in its wake. The world outside was beautiful but slippery, breathtaking but frigid, enticing but cruel, but the halls inside were warm enough, and midterm exams kept everyone too busy to notice the weather anyway. Matt was excelling in class, despite his obvious lack of participation. A year ago, if you had told Mello that someone could come along and permanently claim Third Spot, he would have seen it as a threat- Second was bad enough; he didn't want anyone vying to knock him down further. But Matt wasn't really into the whole 'competition' aspect of Wammy's House. He did enough work to make sure he stayed in the same classes as Mello, no more, no less.

The boys didn't have high expectations for the coming year. Monotony always seemed to loom over their lives like fog, barely noticeable as long as they were busy with schoolwork and such, but at the same time making it feel like they were suspended in the same day, over and over and over again. But the future has that annoying habit of being unpredictable. 12 months is a long time, no matter how fast it seems to go by, and sometimes life can send you a flood when you're expecting a drizzle…

Days drag slow, seasons change fast, lives can change in a fraction of a second, but love is forever, and hearts beat to one steady pulse- always.


	4. Beyond a Birthday Story

**Author's Note: Yesss! I FINALLY put up a chapter of this story in a reasonable amount of time! I'm rather proud of myself…**

**Does anyone actually know in what month the Kira investigation starts? I'm really too lazy to look it up.**

**Disclaimer: Bite me.**

**Dedication: For the Eighth Homunculus, even though I don't really think you read this. It's been too long- I still have your hat and four of your Shojo Beats. XD**

**

* * *

**

On January 28th, Matt was woken up by a sudden weight crashing down on the mattress beside him. He sat up groggily, glaring questioningly at his less-than-subtle roommate.

Mello only smiled at his best friend's disdain. He found it cute, actually.

"So," he said casually, leaning over to look into Matt's eyes, "what do you want for your birthday?"

Matt rolled his eyes, falling back against the pillow and grabbing his goggles off the bedside table. Once firmly in place, he tried to wave Mello off, failed, and then decisively rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head in a futile attempt to get back to sleep, only to face the inevitable fate of Mello yanking the pillow away and throwing the blankets off of the bed.

"Rise and shine. C'mon Matt, seriously, we're gonna be late."

Matt glared as he rolled- literally- out of bed and onto the floor, crawling across the room to collect a semi-clean pair of jeans and a striped shirt to change into. Matt was, by no means, a 'morning person,' and was usually in a sour mood until after he'd had his breakfast.

Mello grinned as he watched his tired best friend drag himself into the bathroom and forcefully close (cough-cough-_slam_-cough-cough) the door, but the smile slid away from his face as he was left alone to his thoughts. He really did want to get something for Matt's birthday. A video game was the most obvious option but… well, it was the most obvious option. It was predictable. An easy way out. That wasn't Mello's style.

He leaned his head on his hand, considering. If not a game, what? It was hard to trick Matt into telling what he wanted- he had to write most things down, so it was hard to coax his words into slipping out. True, Mello could usually pick Matt's brain with just a glance at his face, but for that to work in this situation he'd have to actually show Matt something and see if he seemed interested… He didn't have enough time for anything particularly elaborate- he really only had a couple days to figure this all out.

He ran a hand through his hair as Matt rejoined him and they stepped out into the dim lighting of the bleak hallway. Should he give up and just get Matt a game? He'd really wanted to do something special, but he'd procrastinated so long…

"You never answered my question," he tried. Matt looked at him, confused, so Mello clarified, "What you want for your birthday, I mean."

Matt sent Mello a warning glance that clearly meant '_Nothing.' _Thing about Mello was, he was rather persistent. Some might go as far as to say 'unbelievably pig-headed and stubborn.' In an affectionate way, of course.

An unusual state of pandemonium had broken out at breakfast. Matt grabbed Mello's sleeve to get his attention. _What's going on?_ he asked with his goggled eyes.

"I don't know…" Mello said, biting his lip. Mello lived by the belief that no news was good news, and the sudden chaos made him anxious.

"Really?" A sarcastic voice snarled from behind them. "I'd have thought you'd have been high-and-mighty enough to get details straight from the source. Seems they think the grape vine is good enough for you, hmm?" Linda. Of course. Who else could make this day any worse?

"Linda, you know Watari and Roger have withheld information from everyone. Don't make Mello feel isolated for the sole sake of your personal vendetta." Answer: Near. Near could make this day worse.

He was, for reasons unknown, sitting on the ground, playing some sort of complex-looking card game. "The 'drama' that you have doubtless noticed around you is created by some rumors on the case that L is currently working on."

Mello was torn. He wanted to know what was happening, but he really didn't want to associate with his arch rival. He looked at his classmates. They were whispering excitably, their usually stoic faces radiating shock and, in some cases, fear. Whatever this was, it was good. It had better be worth an exception.

"What case?"

Near paused before answering. Since Near wasn't really one to try and add dramatic effect, Mello assumed this information was important.

"Most are calling it… the Kira case. It involves a mysterious series of global murders, with roots in Japan. The victims are all criminals, and die of heart attacks. However, there only seems to be one killer- Kira him or herself. This person shows no evidence of needing to be anywhere near the victims or having the help of others."

"Someone's playing God," Mello clarified.

"… I suppose you could say that, yes."

"But… L deals with difficult cases all the time. What's so special about this one?"

"Are you _retarded?"_ Linda shrieked. "A murder who needs _no _contact with his victims _whatsoever._ Someone who can strike another human being down from halfway across the world! This is the most dangerous case L's ever dealt with. I'd expect you could figure that much out on your own."

"And I keep expecting you to be stupid enough to swallow the fork along with your food while you're eating and choke to death, but thus far I am sadly wrong. And I still say The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases make for the best story."

The air suddenly shifted. Linda dropped her scowl, Near's blank look broke, and Matt… well, Matt had already looked pretty confused, so maybe he didn't count. They stared at Mello.

"The Los Angeles what?" Linda finally breathed.

"BB murder cases…Near knows…" But Near shook his head. "But… that's right… I remember know…"

"What?" Near asked, trying to regain complete composure.

"Oh… nothing, really… just a story someone told me a long time ago…" Mello's icy blue eyes were a million miles away, and when they snapped back to the present, he grabbed hold of Matt's arm. "C'mon, Matty. I'm hungry."

* * *

It wasn't until they sat down that Mello noticed Matt's smile. "What are you grinning about?"

Matt held up a finger to ask him to wait, then scrawled on one of his sticky notes. _I've decided what I want for my birthday._

"Is that so?"

_Yes. I want to hear the story you were telling Near and Linda about._

**AN: Are these chapters getting worse as they go on? Seems it to me… At least this one's a tiny bit longer (I think). And you'll have to have some patience with this chapter- it's all foreshadowing. The plot really does pick up next chapter, which I promise will be up soon. Review?**


	5. When Perfection is Possible

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry, but you can't even imagine how busy I've been this week. My teachers apparently do not understand the meaning of 'Christmas Spirit', and have decided to spend December seeing exactly how much work they can give us before we crack. I'd also like to apologize for the chapters getting shorter. I don't know how it happened; I was watching to make sure they WEREN'T, but someone reviewed saying they were and I checked. They were right T.T. From now on, they shall be longer ;) And, a couple updates: HTA is STILL being procrastinated on, and I'm really very sad to say this, but I don't think chap. 5 will be posted until Christmas break. However, there are numerous one-shots coming up. I'd love to do one for Mel's birthday, but I have so much homework this weekend, and, coincidentally, Mello shares his birthday with none other than my lovely grandmother. Yes, it's very weird. And since I have effectively turned this AN into a novel already, let's give the actual story a go!**

**P.S. Thank you to all my readers! I got so many wonderful reviews and even more alerts and favorites. I really hope I don't disappoint you; I kinda sorta love you guys!**

* * *

Matt's birthday fell on a Saturday, which is always good- sleeping in, no work, etc. Still, he was awoken pretty early by Mello jumping on his bed.

"Happy Birthday!" he shouted, ignoring the disgruntled look he was getting.

_Is this going to be a regular thing now?_

Matt was out of bed before Mello could decipher his sloppy morning handwriting.

"Ha. Ha. Ha," he said sarcastically. "Not my fault you sleep like the dead." Matt had his back turned, but Mello knew he was smiling. "So, about your birthday present… are you really sure that's what you want? It's not too late to change your mind, you know. It's not really the best story in the world. Something that happened a long time ago…"

Matt took a long time writing his reply, as though he were choosing his words very carefully. _I'm sure. I was never really into stories; but when Linda and Near asked you about it, you had this weird look on your face. Like you'd forgotten something, and you could kind of remember what it was, but the details were kind of blurry? And you acted like you had something to hold over them. I want to know what kind of story this is._

Mello sighed. "Fine. If you insist. Sit down then- yes, _now, _this is a long story. If we don't start now, we'll be up all night."

And so, sitting on Mello's bed, still in their pajamas, the sun making it's lazy way through the sky, Mello told Matt the story he had been told so long ago.

How no one could explain the murders- how someone could murder without evidence, how one would enter a room, commit the crime, then leave and lock the door behind them without using a key.

How the killer seemed to be completely mad- wiping down every surface, right down to the light sockets; nailing Japanese voodoo dolls to the wall as his only signature.

How the case was too great for even L to handle alone. How he called in an ostracized FBI agent to do his field work for him.

How the killer stole L's face, and nearly took his spotless reputation as a detective with it.

How Beyond Birthday, determined to tear L down, stopped at nothing to surpass his idol, flirting with insanity the entire time.

And last, Mello told Matt how he came to hear the story: from the great detective himself. Barely over the threshold of childhood, just a few months before his spot as the next successor was challenged.

_L told you all that himself?_

"Mmm…" Mello looked far away from the conversation, leaning against the headboard with slightly dazed eyes. "That was the only time I ever met him… it was years ago, too…"

_But there's something I don't really understand._

Mello raised an eyebrow, urging Matt on.

_Why did he tell you that story? If he only saw you once, wouldn't it have made more sense to give you advice on being a detective or something?_

"I thought that too, at first. But it's a very important story. It's like… no one and nothing is perfect, not even Wammy's orphans. L almost lost and… B was one of ours. I mean… think about it, really: the first two successors to L and one kills himself and the other turns traitor and starts murdering people. But you and me are sitting here in the same line they were in. Nothing's changed, Matt. Someday, someone will come along who's just a bit better than B was- it could be this Kira guy for all I know- and L will fall, and all they'll have to replace him are children broken from all the pressure they put on our backs. Us."

Matt didn't move for a long time. Finally: _I don't think I want to be a detective anymore._

"It does make you think about things… I don't want to be like everyone else here. They're so… cold. I want to be better than them. I _will _be better than them."

_I don't know if 'cold' is the right word. Everyone here seems so lonely._

"Lonely. Yeah. I guess you're right."

The two fell into silence for the umpteenth time. Matt set his paper aside, his eyes fluttering closed. He wasn't exactly tired, just… overwhelmed. This was easily the strangest birthday he'd ever had. He'd been able to tell that the story meant something to Mello- that's why he'd wanted to hear it so badly, but he hadn't guessed that it would be so dark.

An hour at least passed while they just laid there next to each other, both of them lost in thought. Mello was surprised when he looked at the clock.

"Matt," he whispered, breaking the silence. "It's almost dinner time. We didn't eat at all today. You must be starving."

Matt shook his head. He wasn't hungry.

"It's your birthday. We should celebrate."

Matt shook his head again.

"Hey Matt?" Mello finally seemed to capture Matt's full attention. "Earlier you said that everyone here seems lonely." Matt nodded. "Are you?"

Matt shook his head for a third time, and shyly rested his head against Mello's shoulder, his message clear: _No, I have you._

Mello nodded. "I was lonely, too, before you came. I've been here so long… they take away everything, Matt. Everything that keeps you connected, starting with your name."

Matt suddenly pushed back Mello's sleeve and started tracing his fingers over the fair skin there. "What're you…" Mello started, then realized what he was doing. Letters. He was writing his name.

Mello was touched. To let someone know your real name here… it was forbidden, to start with. It was the ultimate sign of trust, and Mello was fairly certain it had never been done before, even in the lower rankings.

But after hearing that story… they wanted to rebel. They wanted to know they'd always have someone. They just wanted to be normal.

_M- _Mello concentrated to make sure he got it right- _A- _Surely that was the reason for the shivers at Matt's touch- _I- _Because nothing else would make sense, even if he had started to think about Matt a little… differently… lately- _L _There couldn't be anything there, right?

Matt switched arms for his last name.

_J- _Could there ever be anything more than friendship between them?- _E- _Should there be?- _E- _Mello had always heard that such relationships were wrong, but still- _V- _when he thought about it- having Matt all to himself, touching him… kissing him- _A- _the sparks were flying just from the feel of Matt's fingers- _S- _and Matt was so adorable, so sweet, so unbelievable…

"Mail Jeevas." He pronounced 'Mail' like 'male'.

Matt slowly traced _M-I-L-E _on Mello's arm. Mello understood.

"_Mail _Jeevas," he corrected himself. It sounded nice as he said it. Perfect, like nothing else could be. He looked down to see Matt- Mail- looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, my parents named me Mihael. Mihael Keehl."

Matt drew on Mello's arm one last time: _B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L._

And finally, Mello's mind was made up. He pulled Matt closer to him until their lips touched.

Their first kiss was slow, experimental, kind of an _I-like-you-do-you-like-me?, _but it slowly grew into something more passionate. Mello couldn't seem to form a coherent thought, but when they broke apart, he could've sworn the planets had aligned.

"Wow," he murmured, their mouths still mere centimeters apart. Matt nodded and they kissed again, eager to feel the soul-soaring sensation again.

This was shorter, and when they split apart again Mello voiced the words they were both thinking. "I love you."

Matt slowly sat up and opened his mouth, his lips forming the words he so desperately wished to return, and…

* * *

**Author's note: Hmm… I do recall putting a Danger: Cliff(ie) sign up last chapter… you hadn't forgotten, had you? So, what do you think? Does Matt find a voice for something so important? Or do I still have a few tricks up my wicked little sleeves? Next chapter will be up very soon; even sooner if you review ;) While you're waiting, I got that birthday one-shot up. Just sayin'. XD**


	6. Cry, Part I

**Author's Note: Alright, show of hands, how many of you wanna kill me? Hey, it's cool, I'd wanna kill me, too. I can't give you a real **_**reason **_**I just went AWOL for over a month there- I wasn't **_**too **_**busy (I had winter break), I wasn't trying to build the suspense or be a bitch, and I'm certainly not getting bored or running out of inspiration. Don't get scared about the AN in the first chapter; that won't happen here. I'm gonna freakin' finish this story if it's the last thing I ever do! Yes, I am **_**way **_**over-dramatic.**

**Disclaimer: Are any of you really unclear on the fact that I don't own this shit? LOL, disclaimers bore me sometimes.**

_Matt slowly sat up and opened his mouth, his lips forming the words he so desperately wished to return, and…_

…nothing. Silent. Like a TV on mute.

The silence fell heavy on both of them. The floorboards creaking, the hum of the heater… it all seemed so far away. And all they had was the bed beneath them (so why did it feel like they were falling?), and their palms were sweating (so why did it feel so cold?). They hadn't really expected anything, but… "I love you" were supposed to be magic words, no matter how old you got.

And that was why Matt cried.

He was tired of being strong, sick of having gotten used to it, not ready to move on. He missed his voice. He couldn't contain it anymore. His words were so trapped… so they manifested themselves as tears.

"Hey… don't cry," Mello said gently. He reached his arms out to Matt, who immediately slumped into them. "It'll be okay. I understand."

Matt shook his head weakly against Mello's shoulder. Mello didn't know what to say then. Matt was right. Nothing was 'okay'. Nothing would _be _okay, either, until Matt could say aloud that it was.

Matt cried himself to sleep in Mello's arms.

If Matt getting his voice back was the best thing that could happen to him, his relationship with Mello was a close second. Neither one of them had to fear the hollowness of life anymore. The world had new meaning, new reasons, better reasons, to get up every day and be strong and do what they had to do to survive here.

Most of the other orphans had no opinion whatsoever on their relationship. Most of the other orphans had no opinion on _anything_, actually. They were robots. The rest were more or less just surprised that anyone could find happiness inside of these cold walls. A few were even jealous. No one at all seemed to care that they were both guys.

Rumors continued to swirl around the Kira case. Some people insisted that they had heard that L had shown his face. Others swore that L practically had it solved already. Jealousy. Contempt. Honor. Idolatry.

Months went by, but Mello couldn't help but think of this happy time as an elastic band. It was stretching, and maybe it seemed like it could keep getting longer forever, but somehow, you know it's just going to snap. All he could do was make the most of every day while he had it.

Mello had never had anything like Matt- a reason to smile, someone he could be as open or sappy or silly as he wanted with. He loved the fact that he was getting addicted, that he could no longer sleep without Matt's warm body snuggled up against him or make it through the day without his smoke-flavored kisses. Useless problems didn't trouble him as much anymore. He still wanted to beat Near and reclaim his place at the head of the class, but he had something new to set at the center of his life. A boyfriend; a lover to be his everything.

As time went by, they learned more and more about each other. Mello told Matt how he had never known his family. Matt told Mello about his mom, and showed him a picture. _She was the best mother ever. We were really close. _"You look just like her," Mello said. Matt smiled. He didn't say anything about his dad or how his mom died, so Mello didn't ask.

He did ask about how Matt lost his voice. He couldn't help it- he wanted to know so badly.

_I could talk until I was twelve. It was really sudden, I just kinda woke up one day and I couldn't say a word._

Mello wanted to know why, and Matt admitted there was a reason but wanted to wait. Matt believed, somewhere inside him, that he would be able to talk again someday. He wanted to _tell _his boyfriend what had happened, and Mello understood.

When they were sixteen, they were allowed to get their licenses, and when they did, they started going out more and more. The best days of Mello's life were the ones he spent driving far away from his childhood home, Matt next to him, sometimes going on actual 'dates' and others just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.

Strange as it seemed, Mello had never given too much thought to what his life would be like when he finally grew up and left the orphanage. He had assumed he would take L's place, as letting Near beat him was not an option in his mind. Now he thought about his future with Matt all the time. He couldn't wait until they were eighteen and old enough to move out on their own. He just wanted to be with Matt for the rest of his life.

His seventeenth birthday was the best day of his life. He had only one more year to get through before he could turn his back on this place.

In the absence of speaking, Matt loved being close to Mello. Just having the blonde's arm around his shoulder as they walked from class to class made his world a little brighter. He hardly left Mello's side, and when people starting referring to him as Mello's puppy, he just smiled and hugged his boyfriend a little tighter.

Which is why he was kind of shell shocked when Mello got sick one day and told Matt to go to class without him.

"Really Matt, I'm fine, just go and take notes so I can copy them later."

Matt bit his lip, worry clear in his face.

Mello laughed a little, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "Calm down, it's just the flu. All you can really do for it is rest. I insist you go to class. That way both of us are miserable," he teased.

Matt was hesitant, but eventually got Mello a glass of water and then left. He felt awkward, going through the day alone.

He sat down in his first class and was surprised when somebody took the seat next to him, where Mello always sat.

"You look anxious," a deadpan voice said.

Near? Matt had never hung out with him before. It felt like betraying Mello, to make friends with his arch rival.

_Mello's sick. _He wrote on a sticky note and handed it to the albino.

Near nodded. "You have nice handwriting," he said with as little emotion as ever.

Matt gave a little smile in gratitude and the two ignored each other for the rest of the day. Matt didn't see Near becoming a friend, but he decided that he didn't hate him either.

**AN2: I would just like to apologize again, and also clarify that although that last scene will be important later in the story, there will be **_**nooooooo **_**MxN of any kind in this story. In case you were worried. The next chapter won't take anywhere near this long, and I think you'll like it. Huge plot twist comin'! And, a little shameless self plug, I wrote a oneshot for Matt's birthday… wink wink.**

**Review, m'kaaaay?**


	7. Code Red

**A/N: To make up for how long the last chapter took, I'm determined to get this chapter finished as soon as possible. Time for the suspense to start kicking in!**

**Mello: You really do hate us, don't you?**

**Flutter: Oh, you don't know the half of what I have in store for you guys. You think you hate me for kidnapping you and keeping you in my basement with a limited food supply, wait for the next chapters. I'll have to double lock the basement door so you don't murder me in my sleep.**

**And, for anyone who's confused, the chapter title isn't a mistake; _Cry Part II _comes later.**

* * *

_Tokyo, Japan_

Light Yagami rested his head in his hand, his eyelids growing heavier. He had sworn to himself he could handle everything- being Kira, working with L, and staying at the top of his class. He didn't want to admit it was too much for him, but he was finding himself more and more tired lately.

He stared at the essay in front of him, due the next day and not even half finished. The light from the computer screen was starting to make his eyes ache, and the cursor blinked at him, reminding him how much work he had to do.

As he was contemplating faking sick for the first time in his life just to get an extra day to work on it, the screen suddenly turned completely blank.

"What the...?" He was suddenly wide awake, clicking randomly, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, pressing escape. Nothing worked. He had saved his essay, but he needed a functioning computer to finish it.

Suddenly, a giant black L, appeared in the field of white. Light scowled.

"Ryuzaki, was that really necessary? You have my phone number."

Silence radiated from the laptop.

"Fine. What is it. A new lead?"

Finally, the synthesized voice answered. "A revelation, really, and not a new one. You are Kira. You are trying to kill L."

Light sighed. "No. I am not Kira. And why are you referring to yourself in the third person?"

Instead of answering, the screen changed. He now seemed to be in some sort of video chat, and he could see L, sitting in his usual crouching way. His head was bent, so the majority of his face was hidden.

"The third person?" The voice changer was off, but something still didn't sound right. Light chalked it up to a poor speaker system. "No. No, no, I think you are confused."

"Ryuzaki..."

"Yes. Yes, yes, definitely confused. Poor Light. May I call you Light? Kira's fine, too, you know; maybe better."

"How many times do I have to tell you-"

"But we've never spoken."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me correctly. We've never met. And, as far as first impressions go, you're being rather rude." He sounded far from offended. In fact, the longer the conversation went on, the more excited he seemed to get.

Light decided to remain silent rather than risk making an idiot of himself.

"At a loss for words? Well, perhaps I can finally introduce myself. I," he lifted his head, and Light gasped a little in spite of himself, "am Beyond Birthday." His face looked exactly like L's, but with a huge difference. His eyes had the red gleam that Light would recognize anywhere: he had the Eyes. That meant he had a Death Note, had made the Eye Deal, and would now be able to kill him.

Light raced for his Notebook. The only way to save his own life, he was sure, was to kill this person first. He prayed the name the stranger had given him wasn't an alias and started _Beyon- _

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Beyond's voice sang. Light started and looked at him. "Oh, it'll work, don't get me wrong. I'll die. But don't you think you should hear me out first?"

Light narrowed his eyes into a threatening glare. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I am unarmed."

"You mean to say that you have no part of a Death Note with you at this time?"

"I mean to say that I do not own a Note at all."

Light picked up his pen again, sure he was being tricked. "Impossible. You have the Eyes. No one can maintain them once they relinquish ownership. Don't you know that?"

"Actually, I didn't. See, I have _never _owned a Death Note. I was simply born with the eyes of a Shinigami. No one knows how or why. Of course, I have no way of proving this to you... all I can say is that it would be in your best interests to listen."

Light thought about this, while Beyond pulled out some jam and a spoon. How could he eat something so sweet by itself?

"I see you have more of L than just his face."

Light could have sworn he saw an actual emotion flicker on Beyond's face at these words, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Well, you've hit the nail on the head. _L. _As you are Kira- don't deny it- I assume you are working quite hard to eliminate him?"

"What makes you think I'm Kira?"

"Fine," he sighed, "Plead the fifth. Whatever pleases you."

"Plead the fifth... We're in Japan..." Suddenly, something came back to him. Plead the fifth. _America. _Beyond Birthday...

He shot out of his desk chair.

"You're a criminal! You're supposed to be behind bars!"

"Prisons are not inescapable. Nothing is, really."

"You expect me to consort with a murderer? I've made it my mission to rid the world of people like you!"

Beyond smiled lightly. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere. And, for your information, I used the eyes to choose my victims. They didn't die prematurely."

Light was still suspicious. "How did you escape?"

"That is irrelevant. If I may finally get to my point, I am here because the two of us share a very common goal: to bring down L."

"What's L to you? You look like you could be his twin-"

"No. I was supposed to be his successor."

"A successor? Someone to take over for him after he died?"

"Yes. And after A, his first successor, took his own life, I was next in line. But I wanted to be more, so I set out to surpass him by setting up the one crime he couldn't solve. Alone, I failed. But together, we could win."

"Wait. You said next in line. That means there were more."

Beyond's face split into the creepiest grin Light had ever laid eyes on. "Finally, we're on the same page. Yes, Yagami, were and are. To this day, in Winchester, UK, more and more children are being trained to follow in L's footsteps. Even if you succeed in taking L down, it won't truly be over. However, if we were to, say, _take _one of his dear little minions, we would finally have the upper hand."

"Kidnapping? No! Kira's mission is to protect the world from such crime!"

"Oh, but we wouldn't actually hurt the kid. These children have nobody to worry about them anyway. And it would all be for the good of the New World, right?"

"I... I suppose..."

"Good. I will now email you a list of the top ten scoring children. No pictures were available, but there is a little background information."

Light opened the file and skimmed the first name. "So you think we should take this... Near?"

"No. We do not want our intentions to be too obvious. We don't want to take the highest ranking. I was thinking the next one down. His family had ties to the Mafia anyway... we don't want to be too suspicious."

Light glanced on the next name.

Mello.

"Fine," he said.

"Good. I will contact you later with more details." The video screen closed. Light shrugged and closed the file without looking at any more of it. He had an essay to write, and besides, none of it could be that important. Right?

* * *

**Hmm. Page-wise, this is my longest chapter so far, but reading it over, it still seems short. Maybe because it's all dialogue? Oh well, better than nothing I suppose. The good news is, after this week I have February vacation! Yay, more time to write! So, again, sorry if this seems short, I'll try to do better next time.**

**Don't you just love cliffhangers?**


	8. Smoldering

**Author's Note: Hmm, a little longer than I intended to take, but it wasn't _too _bad a wait, was it? Hope not. I am on vacation now, so you should have more from me by the time the week's up. I'm also trying to decide if I should start another of my multi-chaptered fics... I don't know. Thanks for all your amazing reviews, they really do make my day.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, why would I need to write fanfiction?**

* * *

Every school has that one class that everyone is required to take, but no one actually gives a shit about. These classes are most easily identified by a difficulty level suited for six-year-old children with ADHD, colorful and lesson-relevant posters on the wall that the teacher made the students draw as classwork due to lack of actual educational material, and tragically undisciplined classmates not even bothering to try keeping their obscene behavior quiet.

At Wammy's, this class was Basic Technology. While the name would suggest an interesting class that was fairly important in modern times, the course redefined 'basic' and contained information that most of the child geniuses knew by the time they could dress themselves. So when Mello decided that a prank on Near was in order, it seemed obvious that this was the class to do it in.

So, when the invariably stoned teacher handed out a worksheet that might be appropriate for fifth graders, but not seventeen-year-old geniuses, Mello seized his opportunity. He began throwing crumpled up pieces of paper at the albino's back. Near ignored the first few, but after Mello got in a particularly good shot, he turned, briefly rolled his eyes, and began gathering up his books. There were a number of open seats in the room, and, though they did have assigned seating, the teacher would be too far out of it to notice or care about switched seats- it was the only reason Matt and Mello could sit next to each other every day.

Predictably, Near moved to the farthest seat from Mello available. He dropped his books on the table, but as soon as his body hit the chair, it collapsed. Near fell to the floor, only to discover that a large can of dark blue paint had been placed underneath the seat.

The crash, and the sight of one of his students on the ground covered in paint, brought the previously lethargic teacher around long enough to demand "Who did this?" When no answer came, he gave up, saving face with, "Fine. You all have detention."

Not a single student turned up to the detention, and no further disciplinary action was taken.

In their room that night, Mello was celebrating his 'victory'.

"God, who'd have ever thought the prick would fall for something so simple? Seriously, he should have known better- the paint was _right there _and he didn't even see it!"

Matt was quiet, his back to his boyfriend. He understood how frustrating it was for Mello to always come in second and sympathized with him. He wasn't mad or disappointed, but he did think the prank was immature. Near was okay. He didn't make fun of Matt because he couldn't talk, like most kids did, and he didn't throw being first in Mello's face, like most people would. He just kept to himself.

"Oh well. It's late, I'm going to bed. You coming, Mattie?"

Matt smiled and made a small hand gesture, signaling that he'd be along in a minute.

Mello shrugged. "Okay. Don't be up too late. Big science test tomorrow, remember?"

Matt nodded and sat down at the desk. He turned the light off so that Mello could sleep, but kept the desk lamp on. He'd be quick, after all.

_Near-  
__Sorry about what happened. You know how he can be. I hope you didn't get hurt, and that the paint comes out of your clothes. If there's anything I could do to make it up to you, let me know.  
-M_

He decided to leave it there. It was short, yes, but he was in a hurry. He really was tired. And besides, even if Matt doubted that anyone could be as _completely _emotionless as Near seemed to be, he doubted that Near was the type to be bothered by childish practical jokes. They happened all the time here, and it would be old news by tomorrow morning. The note was really just a formality.

Satisfied, he turned out the light and crawled into bed to snuggle with Mello. The blonde seemed to be asleep, but he slid his arm around Matt's waist, having no idea that the folded piece of paper sitting on the desk contained an apology to his enemy.

* * *

Light glanced at the directions Beyond had emailed him to make sure he was in the right place.

Convincing his parents of a class trip to England had been hard- he needed to come up with an excuse for it being so sudden ("We just scraped the money together; we thought for sure it wouldn't work out"), an actual _reason _that his class would be going ("It's one of the most historically important nations in the world!") and make a fake permission slip. Still, it would all be worth it when L had fallen and he could take his rightful place as God of the New World.

He was glad that Mello's room was on the ground floor. He felt creepy enough looking through windows with binoculars, he really wasn't in the mood to be climbing trees to do it. This still felt wrong, but B assured him that being unloved was more or less a qualification to reside here and that no one would lose sleep over Mello's disappearance. L would be forced to get him back, because he was a successor, but he wouldn't be troubling anyone else. In fact, Beyond had told him, this was probably the most exciting thing that would ever happen to the kid. At least he was part of something.

"A roommate, eh?" Ryuk asked. The shinigami had followed him from Japan. "Which are you taking?"

"Mello."

"Which one's he?"

Light paused. "I'm not sure. I didn't read the original file B sent me all that thoroughly. I guess I'll just have to figure it out."

The blonde teenager was going to bed, the redheaded one was writing something. Eventually, he put his pen down. He stared at the page for a couple minutes, like he was considering what he had just written, then folded it up neatly and joined the blonde.

"Looks like they share a bed," Ryuk cackled.

"Grow up. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. I share with my sister all the time when we're on vacation and such. They're probably just short on beds."

"Hey, Light?"

"Mmh?"

"Why didn't you read that file? It's not like you to be careless."

"Careless? What are you talking about? It's not like there were any pictures or a physical description, it was just basic information and backgrounds. While it would help if the plan was to infiltrate the building, it holds no relevance on a mission like this. Just wait and watch, Ryuk. This is the easy part. Everything will go perfectly."

* * *

**A/N: Oh, it's all delightfully cryptic now, isn't it? Actually, you might be able to figure out what happens, it's all set up now. Here's a hint: Read Matt's note carefully but not **_**too **_**carefully- it's what's NOT there that counts ;)**


	9. Alight

**A/N: See, I can update fast. By the way, I was impressed; a whole lot of you figured me out. I thought for sure this story was reaching the point of senselessness! So congrats to: laughing senseless, PWN3D, and .spoon for putting it all together. Also, 50 reviews! That's just epic; you guys are the best! This chapter's for anyone who's ever reviewed, 'cause you're my inspiration ;D**

* * *

"They're both asleep."

"What are ya gonna do now?" Ryuk asked. Clearly, this was just part of the show to him.

"I'll have to go through the window," Light said. He didn't want to admit that he was nervous, but he was beginning to realize just how many things could go wrong.

The window was, surprisingly, unlocked. Light supposed that with all the high-tech security here, no one took simple precautions anymore. Foolish mistake.

He was so close to them now.

"Just like a criminal, eh Light?" The voice made Light jump, even though he knew the two boys in the room couldn't hear it.

He jiggled the screen lightly until it popped out of place. It made a small noise that sounded like a firecracker to Light, and one of the bodies stirred, but didn't wake up.

He climbed stealthily through the window. "Now you just have to figure out which one to take," Ryuk said.

Light unfolded the piece of paper on the desk and skimmed it. It was addressed to Near; he recognized the name. The top student here. And it was signed 'M'...

The kid with red hair had written the note. And 'Mello' began with 'M'.

"That's him," he whispered to Ryuk. He felt more confident now that all he had to do was grab the kid and go. He took out a cloth and held it over the redhead's nose and mouth. After a few seconds, his already limp body nearly rolled off the bed, losing all of its tension.

Thankfully, the kid was a little underweight, making it easy to drag him to the window. Light pocketed the note (to destroy the evidence) and tried to figure the best way to get his hostage out the window. He was surprised when Ryuk helped, but figured it was just because he was eager to see how things unfolded.

"Hey, Light. Do you think everyone here uses false names?"

"According to Beyond they do. Why?"

"It's freakin' me out. Usually, I'm the first to know who's who. With aliases, I'm as clueless as a human."

And Light was clueless. He was clueless to the fact that he had taken the wrong person. He was clueless to the fact that he was tearing someone away from his lover. Clueless to the fact that the roommate they had just left behind would do _anything _to get this teenager back.

If Light had read the file, he would have known that Mello had a roommate. He would have known that this roommate had a name that began with the same letter as his, and he would have known that Mello and Near had a long-standing rivalry, and that Mello would never be polite to anyone ranking above him.

But he was clueless, he was careless, and, worst of all, he was overconfident.

The plan was simple, but that was the idea. Although it was against both Beyond and Light's usual style, making this look like a quick, unplanned, and amateur job was part of their cover. There wouldn't be any fingerprints, as Light took the note and wiped the window and the screen. He left the screen lying on the ground. His footprints wouldn't be enough to identify them, and the shoes were new, so he wasn't bringing any incriminating foreign material into the crime scene. The idea was to be careful without making it _look _like they had been careful.

"Don't worry. Everything's going according to plan." Light wasn't sure if he was talking to Ryuk or just trying to reassure himself, but he felt better once he saw headlights coming up the road. The silver SUV pulled up and Light opened the back door and laid 'Mello' on the backseat. As he slid into the passenger seat, he couldn't help but shudder at how much BB looked like L, especially when it was too dark to see his eyes.

"You got him?"

"Yes. Excellent. We're going back to Japan. Don't worry about a plane, I've made arrangements."

"Alright, but my family thinks I'm staying here for another week."

B nodded. "I have somewhere you can stay. As long as you can convince them not to pick you up at an airport, you should be fine." He drove away, and Light felt like he was escaping from the set of an action movie.

* * *

Mello woke up feeling pretty good. Yesterday's prank on Near had gone perfectly, he was pretty sure he had a chance to get the best score in class on today's science test, and it was pizza day.

He moved his hand across the bed next to him, but didn't feel Matt there. He was confused, but not worried. Even though Matt was a late sleeper, sometimes if he woke up in the middle of the night he'd get up and play video games.

Mello yawned. "Matt," he called. "You're such a geek. I hope you didn't stay up all night. I'm not covering for you if you fall asleep in class again." He rolled out of bed and noticed the breeze drifting into their bedroom. Matt must have opened the window. When he saw that the screen was gone, he started to get the feeling that something was wrong.

"Matt?" His boyfriend wasn't in the room. He knocked on the bathroom door and, receiving no answer, pushed it open. Still no Matt.

Fearing the worst, Mello threw on the first clothes he found and ran out of the room. Unsure of what to do, he hesitated before deciding to go to Roger.

Bursting into the office, Mello found Watari standing over the desk. He and Roger seemed to be in an argument of some sort.

"Mello, unless this is important, we're really in the middle of something..." Roger began.

"It is- Matt's gone. The window- it's open, and someone forced the screen out. He's not in our room..."

"Do you think-"

Watari nodded solemnly.

"We found tire tracks outside; we suspected something was wrong," Roger said. "Mello, do you know anyone who would want to harm Matt? Or anyone who could benefit by holding him hostage."

This wasn't happening.

"N- no, don't think so..."

"Do you know anything about his childhood? Does he have any surviving family members?"

"Well, his mother passed away, but I don't know anything about his father."

"Alright. Watari, could you please look up Matt's father and see if you can find any reason he could benefit from taking Matt, or hurting him?"

"His last name is Jeevas, if that helps," Mello interjected.

Neither of the two men seemed concerned that he knew this. Watari nodded. "I think it would also be appropriate to contact L."

Watari left, and Mello hurried out as well. He was determined not to lose it in front of everyone, but he felt his entire world crumbling down. The last three years had been completely life-changing. He had discovered what love was, and there was no way he could ever go back to life without Matt.

_Matt... my Matt, my Mail... where are you?_


	10. Burning

**A/N: Chapter 10, baby! Yay for double digits!**

**And, I know I sound stupid and repetitive, but really, the reviews I've been getting, not to mention all the story alerts and favorites, have totally made my week. I love you all so much! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, its characters, nor am I mute- though I'm sure several people wish I was...**

**Also, I kinda stole the first sentence from _Another Note. _Sorry, it was just for dramatic effect.**

* * *

Mello was one of the few people who ever met L as L. The first time that this happened, he was excited and honored. This time, he was ready to strangle him.

His patience was frayed, and he wanted answers.

He wasn't the only one who was upset. This was easily the most stressful week of L's life. Beyond Birthday had not been located, his main suspect in the Kira case had left the country, and now _he _was being called away from headquarters by a kidnapped student.

When he expressed all this to Mello, the blonde got a strange feeling, but he ignored it. L, he was sure, would take care of everything.

After much pestering, L finally shared his insight with Mello. "We have decided to pursue Matt's father, William Jeevas. He has a criminal record and is being investigated as a suspect in the murder of Laura Jeevas, Matt's mother."

"Wow... Okay, so what do we do now?"

L hesitated. "The thing is Mello... _we _don't do anything. I don't want you to have anything to do with this case."

"_What? _Are you insane? He's my _roommate, _he's my _best friend, _and he's my _boyfriend. I love him. _And I know him better than anyone else! You can't stop me from working with you, from getting him back! You can't do this on your own!" Mello stopped, breathing heavily. His short temper was already being pressured by Matt's disappearance. He had needed an excuse to yell, and L had just given it to him.

L remained irritatingly calm. "I understand, but, as you've just demonstrated, you're too emotionally connected. We don't want you doing anything rash. This is for Matt's good- just let us find him."

Mello scowled. He was ready to fight, and usually he would. He had just been dismissed like a child, told to go and play while the grown-ups worked, and he hated that. But fights took time, time that he knew Matt might not have if he was indeed with the man who had murdered his mother. He probably wanted to finish the job...

Mello shuddered. No, he couldn't think like that. He'd have Matt back in his arms in no time, with or without L's assistance... he just had to think.

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it, shook his head, and walked away. L watched him go, worried, but glad that he hadn't put up too much resistance.

Mello took refuge in his room. Sat at his desk, head in his hands, he prayed for fate to be on his side for once. That he could finally surpass those above him. He retreated deep into his memories, searching through every word Matt had said about his childhood. He had never even acknowledged the fact that he'd _had _a father. As for his mother, he had glorified her. Mello had always assumed she had fallen ill or had some sort of tragic accident; no one could kill someone as perfect as Matt described.

"Mattie," he groaned to the empty room, slumping forward and burying him face in his arms on the desk. "Where are you? Why would you keep all these secrets from me?"

A second later, he straightened up. The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that there was something Matt hadn't told him. Of course, he wouldn't tell Mello how he'd lost his voice, but other than that...

No, he was sure of it. If Matt had been afraid of his father, or of anyone else, he would have let Mello know about it.

Whoever took Matt... it had to have been a stranger. But who, and why? He felt like he already knew the answer, he was just missing something.

About Matt's childhood? No, he'd ruled that out. It had to be something more recent. Something from right before he disappeared? He'd been acting totally normal; he probably had no idea that he was in danger. More recent. Something L had said? Mello rolled his eyes at the thought. L barely knew what he was doing right now. Something L had _mentioned_...?

He had gotten a funny feeling when he heard that Beyond Birthday and the prime suspect in the Kira case were both missing at the exact same time as Matt was kidnapped. One's a fluke, two's a coincidence, three and you have a point, right?

So what did that mean? People L were close to were going missing... maybe all three had been taken by the same people.

But that didn't make sense either. Logically, it seemed to, but something was still off. BB had been in prison-why go through all of the trouble to break him out when there was entire orphanage of victims that, obviously, wasn't too hard to get into? More than that, Matt was working under L, while B and Kira were working against him...

It all fell into place. They were working _against L. _They hadn't been kidnapped, they were missing because they were together, kidnapping _someone else._

Mello rose from his chair, his eyes burning with fire and lightning, a look that could easily kill anyone it was aimed at. "Those _bastards..._"

* * *

Matt stirred lightly, coming to his senses. His body felt heavy and he was dizzy. Was he sick? He tried to open his eyes but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

"Mello?"

He frowned a little. As if he didn't feel shitty enough, now Mello was in trouble. Was this about the paint?

"_Mello?" _The voice was louder now; closer, and a touch more insistent.

He groped around him, trying to find Mello and shake him awake. What he felt was an unfamiliar, narrow bed from which is boyfriend was missing.

He forced his eyes open. His vision was hazy, but he could make out faded gray sheets were his soft blue ones were supposed to be.

He bolted upright and nearly jumped out of his own skin when a voice from right next to him said "Relax. No one's going to hurt you."

He looked. He had never seen this man before, but something in him told him he knew this face. He recalled a story Mello had told him two years ago.

L or B? He really hoped it was L. He was scared enough without being in the hands of a serial killer.

He got his answer when he saw the glaring red eyes. His heart sank.

"Are you awake?" B asked. Matt nodded. "Good. Listen, Mello-" he stopped as he saw that the redhead in front of him had a confused look on his face and was looking around the room like he was searching for someone. He frowned. "You _are _Mello, correct?" Matt shook his head helplessly.

B's expression became murderous, and Matt was momentarily frozen with terror, but the dark-haired man directed his anger towards the hallway just visible through the partially open door.

"YAGAMI!"


	11. Searching

**A/N: Sorry if I took too long... this week was _crazy. _Plus I was really sick... but you don't care, do you? You just want your MxM fix. I suppose I can't hold that against you... here's your story. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (screw Kira, those are my Gods).**

* * *

Mello raced to the door and was halfway out of the room before he realized he had no idea what he was doing. He sat on his bed anxiously. He had to plan his course of action.

Should he tell L about his revelation? He decided against it. L might go right back to leaving him out and he had to do this for himself. That meant he had to find them for himself. He opened the closet and found a backpack. He had to pack light, but he had no idea where he was going or how long he would be gone. He decided on one change of clothes each for him and Matt, some chocolate (of course), Matt's goggles, some money, some paper and a pen for Matt, his cell phone, and, after some hesitation, Matt's cigarettes and a lighter. He wasn't in love with the fact that Matt smoked, but he figured right after saving him wouldn't be the best time to try and force him into quitting.

He crept out of his room, and, going around the building quickly, settled for the best weapon he could find- a large kitchen knife. Not the most efficient thing in the world, but it would have to do.

He sneaked out, being careful not to cross L's path, and found the tire tracks that he had recalled Roger mentioning. Recognizing them was, to someone who had been trained in forensics for his entire life, child's play. He was looking for an SUV, he was sure of that now.

He got in a car and followed the tracks from where they left the dirt path and hit the main road. Left or right? He decided to go left until he hit the city's border, then turn around if he hadn't found anything. He guessed that they had ditched the car in a place that was neither too obvious or hidden in an over-complicated way. They obviously hadn't wanted to make the job look too professional, hence the window and the tire tracks. Hopefully they had left enough, slipped up somewhere, made one mistake...

He ended up circling the whole city, and finding nothing, began searching outside its limits. It took him two and a half hours, but, just as he was thinking about turning back and trying a new lead, he saw a silver SUV alone in a deserted lot between two quiet suburban towns. He pulled over and looked around. Nobody watching. It was evening by now, and the few people who lived in the fancy-looking close enough to see him would probably be out right now.

It was locked, so he had to break a window. He prayed that this was the right car.

There wasn't much inside. He checked the backseat.

His heart stopped.

It was too perfect. He started to wonder if this was a trap.

A few red hairs clung to the upholstery. And on the ground, having rolled inconspicuously under the seat, was a cigarette.

Was it enough to go by? It would have to be a pretty big coincidence otherwise. And why would Matt have a cigarette with him? He tried to remember if the pajama pants Matt had been wearing that night had pockets but couldn't. And even if he had found the vehicle, where would he go from here?

He kept looking. He noticed something on the floor of the passenger seat. A tiny fleck of white, like someone had dropped a paper and ripped it a bit while picking it up. It wasn't very big, but there was enough for Mello to tell that it was a ticket of some kind. The only real information he could find was "_-pan". _"_-pan" _as in _Japan, _where the Kira case was centered. As in Japan, which was incredibly far away.

He went back to his car and grabbed the cell phone out of his bag. As much as he hated to do it, he had no way of getting to Japan on his own and Matt was far more important than his pride. He put on his coldest, most serious, final-word tone. "L? Yeah, it's me. I went ahead and figured it out myself. Please book us a flight to Japan."

* * *

Matt was still lying on that bed hours later. He wasn't chained to it, but he was locked in the room. It was getting dark, but he was too busy trying to figure out what was going on to sleep. He had heard some of the fight, and a few conversations, but all that he could piece together was that his captors had taken him, drugged him to keep him quiet, used a wheelchair to get him on a plane without looking suspicious, and they were now in Japan. He also knew that B and Kira were in charge of the operation, and that there were a few of Kira's lesser followers were working as henchman.

A few of them brought him food in the afternoon, then again around dinnertime. He was unpleasantly surprised to see that Kira's followers were ordinary people of all different ages and races. He had already met an Asian woman in her early twenties, a middle-aged blonde man whom he had heard referred to as Liam, and an African American man who had seemed nice enough but didn't speak English.

He had no idea why he was here. No one had hurt him, and neither B nor Kira had been back since he woke up. He had a headache, he was scared, and he wanted to be back with Mello.

From what he had heard, Mello was the actual target, but Kira had messed up and taken him instead. He was glad for that, and that Mello was safe, but he knew his boyfriend wasn't the type to sit around and wait for him to turn up...

The door flew open and B walked in.

"So," he said. His voice was civil, but there was also something demanding in his expression. "I assume you are wondering why you are here?" Matt nodded. "May I ask your name?"

B looked at him expectantly, and Matt tried to point to his throat, hoping he'd get the message.

"Please. We mean no harm, we have realized our failure and only wish to know who you are? You are Mello's roommate, correct?"

Matt nodded again, but his attention was pulled to a figure standing just outside the door, which was still slightly open. It was a man, but Matt couldn't see his face. He had paused when he saw the scene in the room and was now watching them. Matt had the distinct feeling that he was being stared at.

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere. What's your name?"

Matt pointed at his throat more desperately.

"Oh, does your throat hurt?" He turned to the man outside the door. "Bill, is it? Would you please get some water?"

"I would," the man said in a shockingly familiar voice. Matt's eyes still hadn't adjusted to the light enough to see his face, but he definitely recognized the voice. It couldn't be- but it had to be. Was it?

"But it wouldn't help. This idiot can't talk." There was a clear sneer in his tone as he stepped into the room.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, me and my cliffies :)**

**Review!**


	12. Finding

**A/N: So, I've been busy, but here I am! Yay for all of you who had me all figured out ;) So, I won't keep you waiting any longer: here's your update!**

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters. ME NO OWN.**

**Matt: Tell them about your new story.**

**Flutter: Oh yeah! So, hopefully this weekend, but definitely soon, I'll be starting my new fanfiction, _Fire and Ice Cream. _It's also MxM, so check it out, and don't worry, I promise I won't neglect _Golden _;) **

* * *

Until he'd turned twelve, Matt had only had two memories of his father. Or maybe one and a half; the first didn't fully count. He was about five years old, and he was holding someone's hand as he walked to the bus stop for school in the morning. He was aware, dimly, that the hand belonged to his father, but everything else was gone. Just a flash, and we wasn't even sure it was real. In the second, he'd had a cold, and a deep voice was telling him to be good and take his medicine.

Bill Jeevas and disappeared from Mail's life a few months before his sixth birthday. The little boy's mind had bleached the man out almost completely, blotting out the face that had never _really _looked like him, the arms that he could never recall holding him. He wonder if there had even been a smile for his subconscious to erase.

Matt's twelfth Christmas was spent anxious and alone, waiting for his mother to come home after she'd gone to work at her difficult, no-days-off job. She was supposed to get off early, but time crawled by and she didn't return. He fell asleep around 11 at night, and four hours later was woken by his mother. And someone was next to her.

"Mattie... you up? Sorry I'm late... but look, Daddy's home! You remember Billy."

He didn't, of course, but he knew the name, so he nodded. His head was still resting on his arms, which were crossed on the kitchen table. "Hi," he'd mumbled. His father didn't respond.

"He's just missed you so much," his mother had said.

Matt kept quiet. Whatever made his mother happy. He loved her so much.

"Has he?"

"Of course," she said. "He hasn't stopped talking about you."

* * *

"Do you two know each other?" B asked quietly.

"What's the matter? Can't see the family resemblance?"

Matt glared, trying to channel Mello's temper and strength. He should have known that his father would be a Kira supporter. What better way to stay out of trouble than to make friends with the one who punished? He wanted to hurt this man, genetic similarities or not. He should have told him off while he could still talk.

Bill must've noticed Matt's fist clench. He turned to B. "Better watch him," he laughed. He's getting feisty."

This was all a joke to him.

Matt's eyes filled with angry tears. Never before had he understood Mello's need to yell, to hurt, to _destroy. _

"That's enough out of both of you," B said strictly. "Bill. Care to explain?"

"Yeah, whatever. This is my kid. Biologically, I mean. He was always a little mistake. Left when he was five, best decision I ever made. Should never have gone back; long story short, this fucking loser forgot how to talk and I ended up the prime suspect in a murder investigation."

"_Forgot _how to talk? Is this true..."

"Mail," his father supplied.

"Mail?" B finished.

It wasn't true, that wasn't how it happened, but when he didn't move, they carried on without him.

"Fine. Someone will be by in the morning. Sleep well."

* * *

Matt did not sleep well. Nightmares of the night so long ago, the night he swore never to revisit again, crawled into his mind.

He was thirteen years old. His father had been back with them for nearly a year, and yet Mail could list on one hand the things he knew about this man. It was never clear to anyone, even the two themselves, whether Mail and Bill were intentionally avoiding each other or just happened to spend very little time together. What was certain was that both were quiet, almost painfully polite when they crossed paths, and that they were hardly ever seen together. Bill woke up, Mail went to school. Mail came home, Bill went to work. Bill had friends over, Mail had somewhere else to be. Mail was home sick all day, Bill had to spend the entire day working in the yard outside. Like clockwork.

It was November when fate sent a storm powerful enough to close schools early to Mail's small town. He'd been feeling off all day, not sick, but sort of heavy, like he was made of stone. The bus dropped him off at his tiny house just after noon, thunder starting to bellow in the distance.

"I'm home," he'd called. "Storm's coming. It's supposed to wipe out power all over the state so they dismissed us early. Hello? Mom? Bill? You guys around?"

He'd left his backpack on a kitchen chair and walked upstairs. The door to his parents' room was slightly ajar. He'd pushed it all the way open and immediately started screaming.

Bill was crouched over Mail's mother. In his hand was a knife. It was bloody. And Mail's mother was bleeding.

"Shut up," Bill had yelled.

Mail kept screaming. Instinct kicked in, and he raced to the phone and called 911. It had barely started ringing when his father snatched the phone away and hung up. He leaned close to Mail's face, keeping his voice low and threatening. "Shut up. Unless you want to join your precious mother over there, you will stop screaming right this second and go to your room. _Shut up._"

And Mail did shut up. He sat in his room, the power out, sobbing. He was alone in the dark with a murderer. He was too scared to do anything _but _shut up.

He never said another word.

Not when the police came, having traced the call, came to the house and found the body. Not when anyone and everyone, each with a different name and profession but all in suits and fake smiles of sympathy, asked for a testimony. Not for any of the thousand milestones he had reached since then.

Bill had been suspected, of course, but he must have gotten rid of the knife because no proper evidence was found. Mail had testified against him, in writing, but the accusations of someone who was clearly suffering from some sort of severe post-traumatic stress disorder meant very little to the jury.

Mail had been left to live with his father during the investigation. Oddly, they had mostly continued to ignore each other. Bill had, at first, tried to force Mail into speaking, insisting that "no son of his would be a retard", but eventually gave up.

Bill had been found not guilty of murder, but Mail was sent away regardless. He remembered crying at the verdict, happy to leave this monster behind but horrified that there would be no repercussions for the murder of his mother.

* * *

The next morning, Matt was awoken by the door swinging open. It took all his willpower not to attack. Who should be standing, ready with a tray, but Bill Jeevas.

"I volunteered to bring you your breakfast. Thought you'd just _love _to see Daddy's face in the morning," he sneered. He reached out to touch Matt's hair; the redhead jerked away.

"Now, now, don't be rude. Look, it's even your favorite." He stood up and turned to leave. His hand touched the doorknob, and he heard something from the boy behind him.

Just a whisper. Not much, but perfectly clear.

"I hate you."


	13. Reunion

**Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for all the fabulous reviews on chapter 12! Sorry if I took a little longer to update, but I was busy last weekend, and as I'll be busy this weekend I figured, 'nothing wrong with a Thursday update.' Not to mention I've signed my soul over to Script Frenzy for April, meaning _Fire and Ice Cream_ might be on hold for a bit longer than I thought. But no matter, on with the story!**

**Mello: Please remember that Flutter doesn't own this.**

**Me: Did you just steal my disclaimer?**

**Mello: Yep. And a bit of your candy.**

**Me: The chocolate?**

**Mello: The chocolate.**

**Me: *groan***

* * *

L rested his head against the headrest. The taxi's low ceiling forced him to sit normally, and jet lag made it hard to keep his eyes open.

In contrast, Mello was sitting up stick straight, his muscles tight and his foot tapping anxiously. "Where are we going?"

"An abandoned warehouse close to Light Yagami's home. I believe it would be the perfect size and location to carry out such a mission as they have in mind. It's about half an hour from here."

Mello returned his glare to the world outside the window, which wasn't speeding by fast enough.

* * *

Bill did a double take and opened his mouth just as shouting started outside.

It seems Light had done a little research into Bill's case.

"He's a murderer!"

"He was found not guilty!"

"He goes against everything Kira stands for! How could you allow him to become involved in this?"

"He _supports _Kira!"

"Out of fear! He's the type of man I am alive to eliminate."

"Don't get up on your high horse. He's technically innocent, and therefore eliminating him would be wrong. Besides, he's been useful to this operation." B's voice was a forced calm. Matt took note of this: B needed to be in control. Always. It was a weakness, potentially one that could be manipulated.

Light's voice was not nearly as even. "Fine. Let's compromise."

The door to Matt's room opened. Bill jumped, presumably ready to run. Light held up a hand to stop him.

"Leave," he said, trying to regain control of his voice. "You are officially dismissed. Do not tell anyone about what's happened here, or Kira will kill you for obstruction of justice."

Bill was rooted to the spot, blinking stupidly. Light was not pleased.

"Didn't you hear me? Go! Get out of here; don't come back! LEAVE!"

* * *

L had fallen asleep by the time the cab had pulled up to a rundown shack. Mello shook him awake impatiently.

"L! We've stopped. Is this the place?"

"Yes... yes, I believe so. Although it appears shabby, it has several rooms including an exceptionally large basement. As for why it is abandoned, I must admit I've not entirely sure."

They exited the vehicle after paying the driver. L reached into the small bag that he had taken with them and produced two guns from it. Mello didn't even bother asking how they'd gotten onto a plane with them.

Mello had never handled a gun before, but strangely he was not nervous at all. Anything for Matt.

The world slowed as they approached the door. "Do we knock?" Mello asked, unable to raise his voice above a whisper.

L hesitated for only a moment. "No. I don't trust Kira." He pushed the door open- it wasn't locked- and ventured inside a few steps.

None of this was how Mello pictured it. They were alone. It was silent.

No one was in the room just inside, but they didn't go any further into the shack. They waited, listening. A shout suddenly shook the walls around them. "LEAVE!"

They frowned at each other. "That is definitely Light Yagami's voice. I wonder if he's addressing us?"

Mello didn't care. "It came from downstairs. Let's go."

L grabbed his arm. "No. It could be dangerous."

"I don't care!" Mello hissed. "I just want my boyfriend back!"

"And doing something stupid and putting yourself at risk won't help him. There's a smarter way." He stepped forward and stomped on the floor a few times. "Please come upstairs! We're willing to settle things peacefully, we just wish to take the hostage back."

No answer. Mello looked at L expectantly. "I guess we have no choice," L admitted and they descended to the basement.

It didn't take them long to find the party downstairs. They burst in with guns raised, but when no fire came their way, they lowered their weapons.

"Hello, L."

"B. Light," L said steadily. "I see you two know each other. What a quaint little match."

Mello was not listening; he had found Matt. He ran over to him. "Mattie! Are you alright?"

"That's enough, everyone," B said firmly. "There will be plenty of time for this after we finish the task at hand." With that, he released the safety on the gun and pointed it at L.

"Actually, B, I think _you've _done enough." Who would've believed that Light would be the one to speak up?

"Yagami. Don't be stupid. Everyone in this room knows that you're Kira. Allow the wrong people to escape and the results would be... unpleasant. Let me handle this; I'm the only one on your side here."

Light shook his head. "No, B. You were never on my side. You used me. _You _are truly evil. Kira is nothing like you. Kira is good. I can't support you, even if we have a common goal. I want this done right, so I'll do it myself." He was right for all the wrong reasons, and the air thickened as he raised his gun. "This man-" he pointed at Bill, "-is a killer. He destroyed his family, yet he stands here and mocks his son. This is the man who you allowed to work with us. Who else did you hire? A rapist? A bank robber?"

Mello's face flashed as he processed what Light had said. He looked back and forth from Bill to Mail as he slowly put his gun up too.

Bill looked around in panic. Out came his gun, as B had given the each 'staff' member one for 'protection'.

L looked around and took his gun up, too. "We should all calm down. If someone shoots, we all lose."

Six people, each with a strong vendetta against at least one other, five of whom had guns. Time slowed, and then it happened.

The lights went out. A series of bangs. Matt counted- 1, 2, 3, 4 gunshots. One crash. Several hisses of pain.

And one scream.


	14. Cry, Part II

**Author's Note: See, I wouldn't make you guys wait too long ;) Here's chapter 14!**

* * *

Matt's head was spinning as he opened his eyes. Bright overhead lights made his vision blur. He rolled over onto his stomach and saw white sheets and an equally pale floor that was so polished it gleamed nearly as much as the fluorescents. The room was stark and cold, and the light was giving him a headache.

He closed his eyes for a while. He was dimly aware of another person's presence in the room, but he was too far out of it to wonder who it was. He drifted, maybe sleeping, maybe awake, maybe in between, until he felt fingers run through his hair and down his back.

He turned, his eyelids fluttering once again. The first thing he saw was Mello, then he realized where he was.

A hospital room.

He bolted upright and instantly felt Mello's arms around him, comforting him, forcing him back down.

"It's okay, Mattie. Calm down. I'm right here, they can't hurt you anymore."

Matt rested his head against Mello's neck, trying to make sense of it all. Everything had gone kind of foggy, but he slowly started to remember. L and B taking him from Wammy's. Seeing his father. And last of all, the gunshots.

Was that why he was in the hospital? He didn't feel like he'd been shot. He felt fine. Mello hijacked his train of thought.

"You feeling okay? You didn't get hurt but we brought you in just to make sure those bastards didn't do anything. They _didn't_ do anything, did they?"

Matt shook his head. His mind was spinning with questions. Who got shot? Was anyone dead? He remembered, all of a sudden, that he had spoken once while in captivity. Could he do that, now, when he was back in a situation that didn't absolutely demand it?

He felt a drop of water on his face and thought for a moment that he was crying, then looked up and realized that it was a tear but it belonged to Mello. His Mello, who no one pushed around. His Mello, who had never cried in all the years that Matt had known him. His Mihael, the strongest person he'd ever known.

"I'm just so happy you're back," Mello whispered. "I was so worried, baby. I promise, as long as I live, no one will ever take you away from me again, okay? I love you so much. You're safe now."

It wasn't clear whether or not Mello realized that he was saying this aloud, but his eyes finally focused on Matt as the redhead reached up and gently wiped Mello's tears away. Matt had to try, right... "Mihael..."

Mello stared at him for a second, then lost control. He pulled Matt into his lap and buried his face in Matt's hair, sobbing. "Mail... Oh, Mail..."

Matt started crying, too, the outlet of so many confusing emotions going through him at once. He held on to Mello as tightly as he could. "Mihael," he repeated. "I love you, too, Mihael."

They sat like that for a while, in each other's arms, until there was no trace of their tears except for red eyes.

"I'm still confused," Matt said quietly. "I heard guns. Four of them."

Mello sighed. "I was dreading this part. Listen, when the lights went out, everyone sort of panicked and assumed the worst. We're not sure how the lights went out, exactly. It's possible someone was _trying _to get away with a kill, but I think it would have been too risky when everyone was armed. It probably happened there all the time; it was an old place..." Matt waited for him to continue.

"Two of the bullets," he said finally, "didn't hit anyone. One missed altogether. Must've gotten buried in a wall. The other hit a bookcase, and it wasn't attached to the wall, so it fell over. It broke Light's leg, but he's alright."

"What about the other two?"

"I heard that was your dad. And all the crap he put you through," Mello muttered.

"Don't change the subject," Matt whispered.

"I'm not. I was just gonna say I hope you didn't inherit his shitty aim." With that, Mello pulled up his shirt to show his boyfriend the bandage wrapped neatly around his stomach.

Matt gasped and sat up straight. "You didn't tell me you were hurt!" he accused.

Mello's lip twitched. "It honestly isn't nearly as bad as it looks. Barely nicked me. Didn't hit anything important, anyway. Just a little clip in the waist."

Matt was hardly listening, tears welling up in his eyes. "He hurts everyone I love..." he murmured. Suddenly, his eyes turned to steel. "Where is he?"

Mello sighed. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about..."

"The fourth bullet," Matt whispered.

Mello nodded gravely.

"Where?" Matt expected it to be somewhere serious. He could tell just by the way Mello was looking at him. He was expecting to hear that his father had taken a bullet to the stomach or even a less crucial part of his brain. He was expecting to hear that his father was in a room somewhere in this very building, probably in critical condition.

But somehow, he just wasn't expecting it when Mello said, "Straight through the heart, Mattie. He's dead."

Matt let this sink in. He shook his head. "I don't care."

Mello looked at him. "You sure?"

"Yeah. He was no excuse for a father. Is it horrible if I'm almost a little happy?"

Mello chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "You picked the wrong person to ask that question."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

**A/N: I'm so glad the site is fixed! Two days without logging in, I almost died!**

**This chapter's really short, but I promise to make up for it with a quick update, yeah? Next week is April Vacation, so hopefully I'll be cranking out fanfiction... not like I have anything better to do with my time...**

**Review, if you please :)**


	15. The Flaw

**Author's Note: Wow, sorry about my little update-itis there. Time just kind of got away from me. I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I've kept you waiting for so long I'm just going to post it as such, beg your pardon, and promise better quality in the next chapter. Yes, we are approaching the end- just one final story arc here. Speaking of which, I didn't get as many reviews on the last chapter. Which is fine- I don't write for reviews- but I was wondering if you guys didn't like it as much. Don't be afraid to give a little constructive criticism if you have it.**

* * *

"What are you talking about?"

Mello hesitated. He was distracted. The day had been so long. His focus kept flitting between the beautiful sound of Matt's voice, the wound in his side, and how tired he was. It was like his brain was trying to protect itself from thoughts of the actual issue. But now that Matt brought it up, he couldn't ignore it.

"Oh, Mattie. I heard what they said about him. How he hurt you... and I was so angry. I- when the lights went out-"

"It was you," Matt clarified. His voice was still quiet, like he was afraid that if he overused it he'd break it and be forced back into silence.

"Yes... at least, I think so. I'm sorry, Mattie, I wasn't thinking and you know how I am when I'm mad-"

"I don't care," Matt interrupted. He sounded more confident in this. He seemed determined to prove the truth of his words. "If anything, I'm glad. He deserved it."

Mello sighed. "Well, that makes me very happy. I don't know what I'd do if you resented me for it. But we still have a problem." He stood up and walked to the window. Matt wanted to follow him, but something told him Mello preferred the space.

"What?"

"A lot's happened since you've been asleep. There was a shootout leaving someone dead and two people injured. You don't really think that it'll just blow over, do you?"

He paused. "They took B directly back to prison. As for Yagami, they got his leg fixed up and he was officially arrested for his actions as Kira. There's more than enough evidence now. Witnesses. He'll be taken care of soon. Everyone else there was let off, as they technically did nothing wrong- they maintained that they didn't know you were being held against your will."

"That's okay. It sounds like everything's back to how it should be. What's the big problem in all this?"

"The problem is that I killed someone, too."

There was a long silence as the meaning of the words took hold.

"But... but nobody can _blame _you for that. Can't you say it was self-defense? He shot you first."

"Well, right now there's no way to prove that anybody shot anybody. But they're working on it. Some people are saying that it doesn't constitute self-defense because it was too dark to know who shot me. Others argue that there's no evidence that I intended to hurt or kill anyone and probably just panicked like everyone else."

"How many people are involved in this?" Matt worried.

"Not too many. L's trying to keep it quiet."

"Hey, L will help you, right?"

"He's trying. He's not happy with what I did, but he's decided to give me one more chance."

"See? It's practically over and done with already."

Mello smiled weakly. "You're right. Let's not focus on that. It's so good to hear your voice!"

"I don't know where it came from. I guess I just didn't have any other choice. I didn't have any paper or anything."

Mello was thinking about that when a knock resounded on the door. L entered the room.

"Matt. I see you're up. I also heard you made progress speaking?"

"Yes. L, can we leave? I really don't need to be here."

L nodded. "Very well, as long as you're not hurt. I need to borrow Mello for a moment, but I believe a funeral service is being planned for your father if you-"

Matt cut him off, his tone firm and final. "No. I want nothing to do with it."

L raised an eyebrow but didn't protest. "Alright. I suppose you could accompany Mello and I... probably for the better, actually..." he trailed off.

Matt slid out of the hospital bed, happy to see things getting back to normal. He accompanied his boyfriend and his mentor through the halls of the hospital to what appeared to be a conference room. Only a few people stood within it, all of whom looked tired.

"I have brought my successors as you asked. I will leave you now, if that's alright."

"Fine, just don't go too far. As for the two of you, we have a few questions about what happened," the man one the left said. He checked his notes. "Mello, you'll stay with me and," he glanced at them again, "Matt, you're to go with Miss Benant over there."

A woman with straight brown hair in a pink shirt gave them a kind smile and a nod, then walked into an adjoining room. Matt hesitated briefly before following her. She motioned for him to take a seat, and then sat down across from him.

"Matt, right?"

He nodded nervously. Was this about Mello shooting Bill?

The lady smiled. "I'm Sarah. Could you tell me what happened?"

Matt recounted the entire story, gaining confidence as he went. Sarah didn't try to interrupt him; rather, she nodded encouragingly as he spoke.

"Great," she said when he finished. "Just one more thing. There was some kind of shootout...?"

"The lights went out and there were gunshots, four of them, and a crash. I couldn't see anything."

"That's okay," she smiled. "I guess we're done here."

Matt was surprised. It hadn't been nearly as bad as he expected; Sarah turned out to be really nice.

In the other room, Mello was having a very different experience...`


	16. The Interrogation of Souls

**A/N: I can't believe I'm at chapter sixteen! I'm sorry if these updates are starting to get a bit far apart- I've had a lot on my mind recently. May's always a busy month for me. And I have found that since this last bit was a last-minute addition (until recently, it was going to end right after Matt regained his voice), my writing has suffered a bit while I'm writing it. I definitely wasn't happy with the last chapter, so I hope I do better with this one.**

* * *

"We _know _you killed him." The man got straight to the point, Mello gave him that. He was a balding, middle-aged man with a rather rat-like face and a vicious tone of voice.

"I assume," Mello said calmly, "that you are referring to William Jeevas." Mello had a short temper, but he had a feeling that this man had one to match and would be easier to manipulate if Mello kept his head.

"Yes," the man replied stiffly. "I believe he is the father of the young man in the other room?"

"That's what I've been told."

"And are you not currently dating that young man?"

"I am."

The man scribbled something down on a notepad, then returned his threatening glare to Mello. "As I understand it, William had brought quite some trouble into his family. I'm sure that made you quite angry."

"Matt never talked to me about his father."

"But you found out the night you went there. And you raised your gun." Mello didn't say anything, so he continued, "We have witnesses who have already testified that you did."

Light and B? "Any witnesses who aren't being taken to prison at the moment?"

The man begrudgingly wrote down Mello's point, probably just so he could figure out how to argue it. "Listen, if you just confess now-"

"Confess what?" Mello finally snapped. "That I shot a gun? Yes. So did three other people. I've no idea where my bullet went, and it certainly wasn't intended for anyone in particular. I felt myself get shot, I panicked, and I pulled the trigger. It was more a mistake than anything else."

After taking a minute to write down what he'd said, the man gave a wicked smile. He seemed pleased that he'd been able to visibly agitate Mello, and when he spoke his voice was oily and condescending. "I think that's all for today. You may go."

Mello narrowed his eyes but was determined not to get himself into any more trouble than he was already in. He turned and found Matt leaning in the doorway, biting his lip absentmindedly.

"I think we should talk," he murmured as Mello put an arm around his shoulders and they emerged into the hall, where L was waiting for them.

"I know," Mello replied as the three left the hospital and and got into the car.

It wasn't a long drive to the hotel L had arranged for them to stay at. When they arrived, L escorted them to their room.

"I ask that neither of you leave without notifying me first. Due to the popularity of the hotel, I'm three rooms over, but if you need anything, I'll also be staying put. Otherwise, meet me in the lobby by 9 AM tomorrow and, above all, don't do anything stupid."

"Isn't _he _a regular ray of sunshine," Mello muttered darkly as he threw himself down on the bed and sighed.

"Are you okay? Does your side hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. Just tired." He extended his arms for Matt to crawl into.

For a few minutes, they just lay there, lost in thought, until Matt said, "I'm sorry I never told you. I wanted to wait until I could speak again."

"And now you can. So tell me what happened."

Matt didn't waste time with details. "He killed my mom and I found her. That's why I stopped..."

"I'm sorry, Mail."

"Not your fault. I love you, Mihael."

"I love you too. Let's just go to sleep now. I have a feeling this isn't over yet."

They kissed goodnight, and were asleep in seconds.

* * *

The next morning found them being taken to a small diner for breakfast with L, who explained the situation.

"I haven't been able to clear the charges against Mello, but I did call in a big favor on a different front."

"Meaning?"

"You won't be tried in court, or by a jury. A judge will come and hear the case and decide on his own what to do. Hopefully, he lets us all forget this ever happened. If not, we go from there."

They finished eating, and were surprised when L announced that it was time to go.

"Now?"

"As I've told you, it's very informal. Just tell your story honestly."

They traveled to the park next to the diner, where Sarah, the man who had interrogated Mello, and another woman were already sitting on a bench. Sarah smiled encouragingly at them as they approached.

Matt and Mello looked at each other. "Here goes," Mello whispered.

* * *

**A/N: Holy macaroni! It's looking like just one more chapter and an epilogue, and then my first full-length story is finished! But don't worry- you certainly haven't heard the last of me! I'll try and be quick with the next update. Reviews would make my day!**


	17. Does Calm Always Prelude Storms?

**A/N: Sorry this took so long- good news is, the epilogue's been finished for like three weeks so at least you don't have to wait anymore! Don't worry- I saved all the sappy stuff for the epilogue's A/N. For now, let's just enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If you've made it this far without realizing that I don't own _Death Note_... well, I just don't, okay?**

* * *

Matt and Mello were allowed to tell their stories first. The woman, who was apparently a quite successful judge, listened without interrupting them, just nodding slowly at some parts and jotting down notes at others.

"Thank you. Miss Benant? Have you anything to contribute?"

Sarah thought for a moment before speaking. "Well, Matt here had already told me this story. For one thing, it was consistent with the way he told it now. And he seemed to be telling the truth. So I think that it's what really happened..."

Mello heard the man who had questioned him the previous day cover up a snigger, and he had to admit he couldn't blame him. He wondered if Sarah Benant was a lawyer- she was too nice anyway.

The judge sighed, clearly unimpressed. "Alright. How about you, Mr. Fevit? You spoke to Mello, did you not?"

"I did, and I must confess to disagreeing with Miss Benant. As I understand, Matt you never spoke to your boyfriend about your father until recently?"

"I never _spoke _to my boyfriend _at all _until recently," Matt snarled. Mello smiled, glad to see the love of his life able to speak up for himself for once. He wasn't even used to the sound of Matt's voice yet, but the redhead already spoke like he'd never lost his voice at all.

Fevit ignored Matt's comment and continued. "However, as both of these young men have confessed, Mr. William Jeevas's crimes were brought up only minutes before he was murdered. That is to say, Mello only found out how Matt had been been hurt at that very moment. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Mello said.

"Undoubtedly you were very angry?"

Mello nodded but didn't reply.

"This was the man who caused the man you loved to become mute for years. Why not take revenge?"

"The lights went out. I couldn't see what I was aiming at. I got shot and reacted instinctively; I didn't even mean to pull the trigger."

"We have a witness who says you raised his gun before the lights went out."

"As did Mr. Jeevas, and as he obviously fired _before _he died, he had already tried to kill me." Mello pulled up his shirt enough to show his injury. "I shot in self-defense."

"Well which was it? A reflex or self-defense?"

Mello thought about it and, choosing his words carefully, said, "In this case, self-defense was a reflex."

"And," Sarah said, clearly excited to have found a point, "Matt told me that his dad raised his gun _before _Mello did! Right Matt?"

"That is irrelevant, Ms. Benant, Mr. Jeevas was clearly-"

"That's enough, thank you," the judge cut in suddenly. "I've heard the stories, and the points against you, and I think I have more than enough information to make my decision. If you'll just give me a few minutes to review my notes."

They lapsed into silence. Only a few minutes stood between that second and the one I which they'd find out if they could go free and forget that all of this ever happened or if they had to go forward with a trial.

As silence fell, Matt and Mello met each other's eyes. They had known each other for years now, and it felt like they had loved each other for their entire lives. All they had was each other, and that had never mattered to them. Each other was enough.

"Well, I think-"

The moment they had all been waiting for was interrupted by a phone call.

"Hello," L answered. He listened for a minute and his eyes widened. "I see," he murmured before handing the phone off to the judge. While she listened, he addressed the four people staring at him.

"It seems that this case has worked itself out."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that there is no longer any question of who killed William Jeevas."


	18. Epilogue: Silence

**A Final Note from Flutter: Oh. My. Goodness. I simply _cannot _believe this is the end. For those of you who didn't read the A/N in the first chapter, this was my first multi-chapter fanfiction. And now, it's over. Tears! I feel like I grew as a writer while I was writing this, which is good, because you have by no means heard the last of me. _Fire and Ice Cream _may or may not get put on hold, depending on if my writer's block lifts, but I guarantee that _something _will be up soon. In the meantime, I'd like to dedicate this epilogue to my freakin' epic reviewers. You guys are the best- I can't believe how many great comments I got. They all made me so happy!**

**Oh, and if you hadn't figured out why this is called _Golden_... well, read to the end!**

**And on that lengthy and sappy note, we digress...**

* * *

The police station was eerily quiet. Matt leaned closer to Mello as they were led to a locked room in the back. Entering, they saw the man they were there for. He was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room with his hands cuffed behind his back.

They took seats facing him. "Light Yagami," Mello said calmly.

Light didn't respond immediately. He hadn't lifted his eyes from the ground since they came in. Finally, he asked, "Have they let you go?" He almost seemed to be trembling a little bit.

"They have."

Light didn't look at them, but they could see the corners of his mouth curl up in some sort of twisted smile. "Good."

"Why'd you do it?" Matt asked bluntly.

"I'm going to die. I know that. I have been convicted and sentenced to the death penalty already; what's another name to my list? Now, you- both of you- have a lot of life ahead of you. You see, the main mistake I made as Kira was forgetting one of the most important rules of life- that everyone deserves a second chance. I won't make that mistake again- this is your second chance."

"What exactly did you tell them?" Mello demanded.

"You should be careful. Someone could be listening," Light warned.

"No one's listening. I checked on the way in. No guards or bugs. I guess they don't think you're too dangerous now that you've confessed," Matt said.

"No, they just can't be bothered. You'd be amazed at how little people really want to hear..."

"It doesn't matter," Mello cut in. "How exactly did you get me off the hook?"

"I'm Kira. I told them I found out about William Jeevas's criminal activities and judged him as unfit for the New World. I claimed I shut off the lights then intentionally shot him."

Mello held up a hand for him to stop talking. "Someone's coming," he murmured.

Two officers entered the room and announced that they were taking Yagami. They handed him a pair of crutches and stood on either side of him as they left, slowly on account of Light's broken leg. Light was beyond caring where he was being taken, so he didn't ask.

Matt and Mello hung back and watched him go, and as they watched him retreat further and further towards his imminent death, Matt whispered "Thank you" to the man who had caused him so much pain and suffering.

And then all was quiet.

* * *

"_Silence is golden."_


End file.
